"Never, in Messe Frankfurt's entire history have there been visitors from so many different countries here in Frankfurt. We join the sector as a whole in counting this year's Automechanika as a thorough-going success," emphasises Detlef Braun, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt.
"4,486 exhibitors from 76 different countries have shown in no uncertain manner that the automotive sector is on the threshold of a new upturn. The sector's very positive mood throughout is reflected in the 155,000 or so visitors," continues Braun. "In all we have seen a significant increase of 5 percent in the number of visitors from outside Germany. And with it, Automechanika has once again demonstrated its position as the largest and most international tradefair brand in the whole of the automotive industry."
A key theme of this year's Automechanika was electro-mobility. As well as being about alternative propulsion technologies, this also specifically raised questions about the ways in which the aftermarket can prepare itself in the future for electrically driven vehicles. Beyond this, the focus was on technologies to reduce fuel consumption and on sustainable solutions for lowering emissions.
The sector's major associations also report positive developments in their field. From the point of view of Klaus Burger, President of the Federal German Association of Manufacturers and Importers of Vehicle Servicing Equipment (Bundesverband der Hersteller und Importeure von Automobil-Service Ausrüstungen e.V), Automechanika 2010 has exceeded the expectations of suppliers of garage equipment by a long way. "We were already beginning to see the first signs of a more buoyant market during the first half of the year. Automechanika has entirely confirmed this trend. The high demand for innovative workshop equipment and numerous specific orders from both inside and outside Germany show that people in the motor-vehicle sector are once again prepared to spend money. So that we are getting some very positive stimuli from Automechanika for promising developments in the market for garage equipment, which will last well into next year," explains Burger.
Dr. Klaus Weichtmann, Director of the German Federation for Bodywork and Vehicle Technology (Zentralverband Karosserie- und Fahrzeugtechnik – ZKF) is extremely happy with the way things turned out at the trade fair: "Bodywork repair and paintwork found a new home in Hall 11. The quality of the discussions amongst trade professionals at the stands exceeded all expectations. Quite a few visitors ended up spending almost the whole day in this hall alone.
The new concept is now established. Of course, the ZKF will be there in 2012 - and so will many other exhibitors."
"After the financial and economic crisis with its negative impact on the motor-vehicle sector, Automechanika has given us some positive indications of the recovery," sums up Robert Rademacher, President of the Federation of the German Motor Vehicle Trade (Zentralverband des Deutschen Kraftfahrzeuggewerbes e.V). "The mood in the motor vehicle trades has definitely improved. The quality of business deals is on the up, though there is room for improvement in terms of quantity. All in all, we are very happy with the way things have gone at the fair and take away with us some very positive stimuli for the medium term," continues Rademacher.
"Vehicle servicing finds itself at the end of one era and the beginning of a new one" suggests Prof. Dr. Willi Diez, author of the Automechanika study from the Institute of Automotive Studies and Business (Institut für Automobilwirtschaft). "Automechanika has shown that there are more opportunities than risks in this change. That should encourage all players to approach the challenges of the market proactively."
Levels of visitor satisfaction at Automechanika 2010 were in the region of 95 percent. After Germany, the most represented visitor nations from inside Europe were Italy, Great Britain and France. Outside of Europe, it was China, Russia and the USA who ranked highest amongst visitor nations. In particular, the high level of internationality amongst the visitors, which has risen to some 56 percent (2008: 50 percent) was considered to be entirely positive by exhibitors.
Along with the "Automechanika Innovation Award" and the "Green Directory", the highlight this year was the first Automechanika Rally, with over a hundred vintage, classic and special vehicles taking part. The rally was organised in conjunction with the Association of the Independent Parts Market (Verein Freier Ersatzteilemarkt e.V.).
The next Automechanika Frankfurt will take place from 18 to 23
Sept. 2012.
All relevant information and illustrative material on this year's
Automechanika can be found at: .
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com.
